O NEVE parabeniza o historiador Alberto Robles Delgado pelo início de sua pesquisa de pós-doutoramento na Universidade sueca de Uppsala - um dos maiores centros de Escandinavística do mundo (e cuja universidade foi fundada ainda no Medievo, em 1477).
Entrevista realizada pela Universidade de Uppsala com Alberto Robles
Delgado, por ocasião do início de seu pós-doutoramento (Early Career Researchers, janeiro de 2026).
Can you tell us a bit about your academic background and main research interests?
I specialise in the contemporary reception of the
Viking world, examining how Vikings are represented and reinterpreted in global
media cultures. In this context, I completed my doctoral thesis at the
University of Alicante (Spain), focusing on the study and analysis of Viking
representations in cinema and television. The broad and inherently
interdisciplinary nature of reception studies has allowed me to explore Viking
culture from perspectives such as art history, contemporary history, and
digital media, including video games. I consider that understanding how and why
particular images of Vikings have been constructed is essential in order to
avoid the perpetuation of stereotypes and the intentional misuse of the past.
What are some career highlights or
milestones that you are particularly proud of?
- The publication of my doctoral thesis as a
monograph with Routledge in 2025, entitled The Representation of
Vikings in Cinema and Television: Epic and Barbarism on Screen (https://www.routledge.com/The-Representation-of-Vikings-in-Cinema-and-Television-Epic-and-Barbarism-on-Screen/RoblesDelgado/p/book/9781032822358).
- The award of a Bernadotte Postdoctoral
Research Fellowship in 2024, granted by the Royal Gustavus Adolphus
Academy.
- Research stays during my doctoral studies at
international research institutions, including the Arnamagnæan Institute
at the University of Copenhagen (2019) and the Federal University of
Paraíba (Brazil), where I collaborated with the NEVE research group (Núcleo de Estudos Vikings e
Escandinavos) (2019).
What is the main focus of your
current research, and why is it important?
My current postdoctoral project analyses
comparatively the instrumentalization of the Viking presence in America within
historiographical, media, and institutional discourses in the United States
during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in contrast with the Hispanic
narrative centred on Christopher Columbus. The project focuses on three
geocultural areas: the United States, Spain, and Latin America.
The research is grounded in the hypothesis that the
historical fact of Viking presence in North America was appropriated by
specific sectors of US society to construct an alternative narrative to the
“discovery” of America, with the aim of reinforcing a white, Nordic, and
Protestant national identity detached from the Catholic and Mediterranean
heritage symbolised by Columbus. This process led to the progressive
canonisation of Leif Erikson within the US national pantheon, expressed through
commemorations, monuments, and representations in the collective imagination,
particularly in audiovisual media. This reinterpretation of the arrival of the
“first Europeans” in America came into tension with the hegemonic Columbian
narrative traditionally promoted from Spain as a cornerstone of a Catholic,
imperial, and Mediterranean national identity. Through concepts such as Hispanidad
and the political use of symbolic dates such as 12 October, this narrative was
also projected onto Latin America, where it was reinterpreted, reproduced, or
contested according to specific historical and political contexts, while
largely remaining within a dominant Eurocentric framework.
What do you hope to achieve or
contribute during your time with us?
I see my time at WIVA primarily as an opportunity
to become an active member of its academic community and to engage in
intellectual exchange and collaboration with both resident scholars and
visiting researchers. Through the seminars and activities organised by the
Centre, as well as through everyday scholarly interaction, I hope to develop
new perspectives on different aspects of the Nordic world and to apply them to
my current and future research. At the same time, I believe that my own
academic background can contribute alternative viewpoints to ongoing
discussions within the Centre.
How do you see your work aligning
with or complementing our Centre's goals or mission?
Reception studies related to the Viking world have
gained significant momentum in recent years. Their interdisciplinary nature and
the wide range of available sources have opened new avenues for the analysis
and reassessment of long-standing myths and popular conceptions. The inclusion
of this type of research within WIVA highlights not only the relevance and
vitality of reception studies, but also their flexibility and analytical
potential. Moreover, such approaches allow for the exploration of regions
traditionally considered peripheral to Viking studies, such as Ibero-America,
revealing how different historical and cultural contexts have shaped distinct
perceptions of the Vikings.
On a more personal level, I strongly identify with
the values and mission of the Centre, not only in its academic and pedagogical
aims, but also in its commitment to fostering a healthy and collaborative
professional environment. Being able to contribute to these goals, both
academically and personally, represents a significant and rewarding stage in my
career.
